Trip Hawkins, the former Apple strategy executive who went on to make a name for himself as a gaming industry pioneer by founding Electronic Arts and 3DO, has seen the future and believes a big part of it will center on 3-D gesturing.

That’s what prompted Hawkins to join the board of directors of Extreme Reality. The Israeli-based software developer has come up with a way to turn any consumer electronics device that’s equipped with a 2-D camera into a “full-body motion controlled gaming system, ” offering up 3-D images that can be manipulated with the wave of the hand.

And while the immediate application is in the gaming market, Hawkins says he’s most excited about how the company’s user interface technology will be adapted and extended in the future to create a whole new way of interacting with any device, including PCs, tablets and smartphones.

“They have some really great ideas, which is why they have a number of patents issued,” Hawkins, who is based in California’s Silicon Valley, said in an interview. “Their approach does not involve 3-D cameras and physical gesture devices. There are many use cases and market segments where you can see it applied, a tremendous range of areas where they can have a possible solution

Imagine, he says, walking up to an interactive schedule board in an airport or train station and using gestures to sort through departure and arrival information. Such gesture-controlled systems can be used in a variety of public spaces, as well as in education and businesses.

Hawkins said he plans to help Extreme Reality make the contacts and partnerships they need to help them turn what some consider a novelty into a mainstream technology. That may start by making “killer apps” that have an immediate impact on the console market, he says.

As for the gaming industry, Hawkins, who stepped down as CEO of his third gaming company Digital Chocolate last year, says gaming publishers seem to be going through tough times. “Game publishing is going through a mini recession. We’re in between platforms. There’s not a super hot platform in the way that Facebook was a few years ago. We’re between game console cycles,” Hawkins said. “A lot of infrastructure and overheard that got built up in console market is being disrupted. Companies need to get streamlined and hunker down.”

But the number of games, and the rapid growth in devices such as tablets and smartphones, bodes well for the industry long term, he says.

Since Hawkins started the conversation talking about Extreme Reality’s patents, we talk about his view of whether or not the patent system is working to benefit or harm innovators given the debate fostered by Apple’s recent successful design patent suit against smartphone rival Samsung Electronics.

“I believe in a society having governmental protection on ideas. I’m in favor of patents, copyrights, trademarks, etc. I don’t think the world is a better place if somebody can copy someone else’s idea,” says Hawkins, himself a patent holder.

“That approach requires good administration and good, consistent application of the rules, which can be a problem. And we can get into a debate about how long the rules should last. The life of a patent is very short compared to trademark,” he adds. “But I can’t tell you how many stories I know of small inventors getting screwed. If you’re an individual and trying to get engaged with a bigger company, you need to have the protection of patents, copyright and trademarks.”